


what's redacted will repeat

by built_on_hope (lovable_and_lovable)



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Mission Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-22 09:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13163964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovable_and_lovable/pseuds/built_on_hope
Summary: In their latest blow to the Empire, Jyn and Cassian infiltrate a communications base. The past reappears in cycles, but so does hope.Written for unstable-reality as part of the Rebelcaptain Network's Secret Santa exchange.





	what's redacted will repeat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alp/gifts).



> Title from "Goose Eggs" by Joanna Newsom.

Takari, capital of the planet Iyuta, is a stark city. Stark neon lights advertise bars, casinos, and superstores; Iyuta is far enough from its sun that it is always somewhat dark, but its thick, polluted atmosphere keeps it from being too cold. There’s a stark contrast between the sleek Imperial installations and the poverty along the streets, between the laughter of the drunk officers and socialites on their nights off and the worn faces of those working to keep their entertainment running. And while the temperate weather and the mountains in the distance suggest that coniferous trees should be present, Takari’s land is stark, all foliage having been razed in favor of industrialization.

The morning after their arrival (not that morning means much here), Cassian and Jyn blend in as a couple heading to work. In truth, that’s what they are, but they’re posing as a uniformed Imperial and a waitress rather than two Rebels. Jyn’s wearing a blond wig and blue iris lenses as well, mostly at Cassian and Mon Mothma’s request. While Cassian needs to look himself to match his carefully crafted cover identity, Agent Willix, their worry was that Jyn would be recognized by the Empire as escapee Liana Hallik, or by anyone else she’d crossed. To go with the disguise, she had forged scandocs for a fresh alias, Yulena Marin, and checked over Cassian’s as well. While Iyuta is as vigilant as most Imperial planets, law-abiding non-dissidents can usually gain entry, and it was easy for Agent Willix.

Jyn is grateful that she and Cassian are only passing through the frenetic city center. The lights are too bright for both of them, the smell of fried food too cloying. The pavement almost thumps with the chatter, music, and construction work. Jyn’s tucked into Cassian’s side; his warm solidity grounding her. Their destination, much more regimented, is the region’s Imperial Communications Center, one Cassian visited on a previous assignment. Their mission is to extract as much data as they can, particularly a schedule of shipments, which the Alliance hopes to intercept and either steal or destroy. 

“I think I see our ride, darling,” Jyn says. They’ve come upon a transit center, both a stop for airbuses and a parking lot for speeders. She follows Cassian through the lot until he arrives at a landspeeder suitable for his alias and inconspicuous. They climb in, only to find the engine requires a key. 

“Kriff,” Cassian mutters, pulling out his multitool. “I’ll have to hotwire it.”

“All right,” says Jyn, and climbs into his lap. 

He tenses in surprise, but she slides her fingers through his hair and whispers in his ear. “There has to be some plausible reason why you’re sitting still in a parked speeder.” 

Cassian huffs a laugh and tucks his chin against her shoulder as he looks down at the ignition wires. Jyn proceeds to thoroughly enjoy kissing Cassian’s neck. She even throws in a couple of theatrical reactions, as though he’s reciprocating. 

Re-wiring extraordinaire that Cassian is, it doesn’t take long to get the speeder started ( _more’s the pity)._ Jyn gives him a sincere kiss on the mouth, and Cassian wraps his arms around her, snug but still gentle. She wishes she could sink into him forever, but she has to settle back into her seat.

The Communications Center is just a few minutes away. Under Cassian’s cover, he’ll be able to enter the base. However, while he can access an office, he won’t have the clearance to access all the data they need, and Imperial military computer security requires Jyn’s level of slicing ability. The classified setting means Jyn can’t pose alongside Cassian like she did in the city, so as he changes lanes, she takes the opportunity to slide down to the floor of the speeder. 

“May the Force be with you,” Cassian whispers. Jyn undoes her skirt, which transitions into a scarf that covers her hair, leaving herself dressed in leggings, and looking less conspicuous. She also pulls on her gloves with the best grip. Only a few moments later, they arrive at the Communications base. 

“Willix” presents his scandocs to the Stormtrooper standing guard and steers into the semi-lit parking lot. He finds a spot on one of the upper levels, against the wall of the building, and steps out the door of the vehicle. Thanking the Force for Iyuta’s perpetual semi-darkness, Jyn rolls out after him and slinks toward the wall. She hears Cassian diverting attention from her— _“I don’t stop at Takari often; where’s a good place to eat?”_ —and marvels at his ability to fake civility with Stormtroopers. 

Cassian drags out the conversation, giving Jyn time to pull out her multitool and unscrew a ventilation panel. She crawls inside, screws it back on by touch alone, and waits. Cassian will have to take a set of stairs down one level, present his scandocs again, find an office, and open the ceiling’s ventilation panel. They have commlinks, but he won’t use his until he’s secure in an office, and if she leaves before then, she might pass the ceiling of his room before he gets the chance to open the vent panel. Any time she spends in the ventilation shaft is time she risks being heard. 

Jyn feels as though she has to wait half an hour before she hears Cassian’s voice over the comm. The walls seem to be coming closer, it’s dark, and is that fog rolling in? She feels the chill to her bones. _He’s only gone for a little while; you trust him. You’re not trapped in here, just waiting._ Jyn’s breaths are quickening; she needs to redirect. She imagines taking off her full kit of layers and weapons, over and over again. _Truncheons, blaster pistols, thigh holster, the knives hidden in her boots…_

“Stardust?” Cassian’s voice on the commlink washes over her like warm water. He avoids calling her “Jyn” over comms to be safe.

“Jeron,” she confirms quietly.

“Go, I’ve got it ready.”

Jyn gets on her elbows and starts to crawl through the vent shaft, aided by the friction of her gloves and the soles of her boots. _Got to stay quiet, got to get to Cassian_ , she thinks, in rhythm with her movement. Moving, having the difficult task of balancing speed and quietness, helps. The slight light filtering through the slats of the vent panels reminds her of the vault on Scarif. 

Eventually, she comes upon an uninterrupted beam of light. When she’s close enough to peer through the opening, she sees Cassian seated at the desk, logged into the computer, and looking up at her.

“Hi,” he says wryly, and gets up to stand under her. She slides her feet through the hatch and Cassian catches her, always concerned about her joints. She could have made the drop herself, but, well, it’s nice. For, you know, her knees’ sake. 

Arms still round her waist, Cassian looks at her carefully. “Are you alright?”

Jyn exhales. “Am now. Time to slice and dice.” She takes a seat at the desk, and a different flavor of adrenaline fills her. This, she knows, her fingers flying, mind going step by step, puzzle by puzzle.

Cassian’s hand rests on her back, his thumb stroking across her shoulder blade when she expresses satisfaction at each blockade crossed. Time becomes a warped muddle, but Cassian remains constant, so she continues steadily. Eventually he drifts away from her, but by that point Jyn’s too absorbed to care.

She thinks she’s bypassed everything, and she’s started to copy the main folders onto her datacard, when Cassian grips her shoulder. 

“Jyn,” he whispers, eyes intent upon hers. “I heard them outside, they know there’s been a breach. We have to get out, now.” 

That nervous energy ratchets up a notch. “It’s almost done,” she breathes. They can do it; they’ve got to beat them. “You go, pretend all’s fine; I’ll meet you outside.”

Cassian’s jaw tightens. “I’m not leaving you in here.” 

“If you don’t get that speeder, we’re kriffed. Go, now, and comm me when you’ve got it ready. I’m armed, go!”

He squeezes her to his chest, a harsh, rushed thing, and she could collapse from the intensity in his eyes. Once he’s out the door, she quietly locks it again, ignores the slow tug in her chest. Hand on her blaster pistol, one eye on the computer and one on the door, she waits. 

_70%...74%...80%...83%...85%..._

“Come _on_ ,” Jyn hisses.

_87%...89%...92%..._

Rushed footsteps outside.

_94%...96%...97%..._

Cassian comms her. “Honey, I’ll be home in two blinks.” Code for _come, now._

_98%...99%..._

“Don’t keep me waiting,” gritted through his teeth, there’s barely the cover of a flirtatious tone to it. 

… … _100%. Upload complete._

Jyn yanks out the datacard, shoves it in her vest, shuts down the computer. Clicks open the grappling hook at her belt, blasts open the window, and anchors the hook to the sill. Jumps. 

It’s a short fall into the speeder; Cassian must be pushing the repulsorlift to its limits. Cassian lowers his blaster, brow furrowed, and they start to whiz out of the parking lot, past a downed Stormtrooper…

...only to find that the gates are being closed. Jyn grabs the steering wheel so Cassian can calibrate their speed to his target and line up the shot. Despite the darkness, he hits the hinge and the gate falls, allowing them to speed over it. 

Jyn continues to steer, Cassian providing cover fire against the Stormtroopers pursuing them. Once they’re among other speeders, Jyn pulls off her scarf, back to the pale yellow wig, and urges Cassian down as she weaves among the traffic. 

“They’ll be looking for you,” she says.

“Keep your eyes on the rearview in case they’ve tailed us,” he replies, tightly.

When they’re back in city limits, Jyn says, “Blaster down, start disguising.” 

They don’t drop the speeder back at the transit center, but based on the quality she’s pretty sure it belongs to someone she doesn’t need to feel guilty stealing from; she imagines there are few, if any, well-off philanthropists in Takari. Their ship is across town, and Jyn drives as fast as could be considered reasonable, hoping she seems like someone who only flouts traffic laws, rather than virtually all Imperial laws.

In her peripheral, she sees Cassian pull off his jacket, roll up his shirtsleeves, and muss his hair from its gelled quiff into an almost wavy mop. His movements are taut. Jyn takes the speeder all the way to their ship. Cassian keys the door open. Regrettably, the speeder won’t fit inside; would’ve come in handy. 

“Cassian, do you think they’ve closed the shield gate over Takari?” Jyn asks as they hurry inside.

“Maybe. We’ll fly out of range before making the hyperspace jump. Take the rear guns, just in case.”

The unpopulated regions of Iyuta that she can see through the dimness are beautiful. Rolling mountains, some snowy, others not, are interspersed with dry grasslands. Jyn wants to check in with Cassian, but he’s probably busy working out routes and hyperspace calculations.

“Anyone in pursuit?” he says over the comm. 

“None.”

“Nothing I can see ahead, either. I’m going to make the jump.” Jyn braces herself, and watches space go by like blue and white brushstrokes.

“Cassian, are we steady?” Jyn calls once they’ve reverted to realspace. She takes off her wig and unpins her hair, running her fingers through it. 

“Yes,” he says, and she goes to him. Autopilot is on.

Cassian’s gaze drifts off to a fixed point, and his jaw is tight. His hands are locked around his knees. He’s trembling.

Jyn kneels carefully in front of him, watching his face. His eyes barely shift. She runs her fingertips over the backs of Cassian’s hands, stroking firmly between his knuckles and down his fingers. 

“Jyn,” he chokes out, eyes huge and wet, “I can’t—“

“I trust you,” she says. “Hold my hands instead. You won’t hurt me.”

Cassian opens his palms to her, and she holds firm, but not tight. “Breathe with me a moment,” Jyn says. “In, two, three, four; hold, two, three, four; out, two, three, four; hold, two, three, four…”

The tension is starting to thaw from his limbs. “Should we get your meds?” she asks. He nods, and Jyn guides him gently back to their bunk, where he sits.

She hates this, his pain, wishes she could bludgeon it to pieces, but there’s nothing for it but to help him through it. It’s a discussion they’ve had several times, and reached a compromise on.

Jyn digs in his bag for his meds, and hands them to him, along with a water bottle and some soft, lightweight sleepwear. Sometimes he freezes up over minute decisions, and she doesn’t want him to get any more agitated. “I’m here for you,” she murmurs. “I’m here.” Jyn watches as he swallows the medication, then hands it back to her. They both change their clothes.

She soaks a washcloth with hot water from the ship’s tank, and at his nod, runs it over his face. “There, that’s right. You just let it go. I’ve got you.” Cassian gulps down all of his water, and leans back against the headboard.

Jyn sits across from him, close, but not in his space. They’ve been here before.

“The Stormtroopers?” Jyn asks.

“Didn’t help. But mostly lining up the shot, I think.” He doesn’t look at her.

“You’re a good man, Cassian,” she says. 

“I’m not,” he mumbles. “Doesn’t—”

“You are!” Jyn snaps. “I believe you are. And nobody knows you better or —or loves you more than I do, so my opinion wins.”

Cassian takes a slow, audible breath, exhales. His mouth quirks up in that little smile of his, and he leans to press his forehead to hers. “All right then,” he murmurs. 

“You’re the best of men,” she whispers, easing him down to the pillow and lying next to him. “So brave and selfless.”

Jyn keeps talking; she needs to keep his mind clear of guilt so he can sleep. “We’re going to win, Cassian,” Jyn says, and it doesn’t matter whether she believed that before; in this moment, for Cassian, she has to believe it. “Those sad, tired faces in the city—you’re bringing them hope.” She combs her fingers through his hair, rubs his back. 

“Nothing like a Jyn Erso pep talk,” Cassian murmurs. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jyn asks, propping herself up on her elbow.

“You speak with so much feeling. Your eyes are such a soft and sparkling green.” Clearly, Cassian’s relaxant meds are kicking in. 

“You bring it out in me,” Jyn says, and presses a kiss to his heart. She settles back into him. “Let’s play ‘when it’s over.’”

Smiling, Cassian considers. “We’ll have a tooka cat.”

Jyn grins. “I'll buy you a dozen jackets.”

“Will you steal all of them from me, or only a few?” 

Jyn crinkles her nose at him. “You love it.”

“I mostly just love you,” Cassian says, and Jyn kisses him again.

The relief and exhaustion are starting to hit for her, too, and they’re quiet for a while, Jyn soothing herself by petting at Cassian’s hair. 

“You scared me today,” Cassian sighs. Not an accusation, just a confidence. “Wasn’t what set me off, but—” 

“I know. I’m sorry. But you know what?” Jyn says sleepily. “It was still a better day than any I’ve had without you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Happy holidays, unstable-reality, and thank you for your prompt: "Jyn and Cassian already in a relationship, on a tense mission, having each other's backs."
> 
> Huge thanks to tumblr users clairiefresh, ladytharen, and startofamoment for being awesome beta readers, and to therebelcaptainnetwork for organizing this exchange. 
> 
> I'm on haylestorming tumblr if you want to see the extensive tagging system that encapsulates my Rogue One emotions!


End file.
